CONDUCTOR’S FUNERAL TURNED INTO POLITICAL RALLY

GUNDVWINI – Some mourners stripped naked as the funeral of kombi conductor Sabelo Dlamini, who was shot dead allegedly by the police, was turned into a political rally.

Dlamini, who was a kombi conductor for a Toyota Quantum kombi which was operating between Mbabane and Mahlanya, was shot dead by a member of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) on Wednesday October 13, 2021, (first day of public transport workers’ strike action), while at Luyengo. His funeral, which was mostly coordinated by the Manzini Kombi and Bus Association, Eswatini Kombi and Bus Association (Mbabane) and individual public transport operators Sibusiso ‘Criminal’ Dlamini, Arch-Bishop Ntokozo ‘Siphahluka’ Sibandze and Steve Horton, was held yesterday morning at the deceased’s parental home at Gundvwini in the Manzini Region.

A convoy of Toyota Quantum kombis and cars, including the hearse, left Mbabane on Saturday afternoon and caused a stir along the Mbabane/Matsapha Public Road, which goes via Ezulwini there was hooting and spinning. Stops were made at the Gables Traffic Circle, Mahlanya and Manzini among other places, where members of the public watched the occurrences in awe.

Motorcade

According to impeccable sources, who are working in the public transport industry, the motorcade arrived at the deceased’s parental home at Gundvwini at around 8pm. Upon arrival at the homestead, the mourners, public transport workers to be specific, parked the kombis they were travelling in inside the yard and played music, which they danced to. In the process, some of them stripped naked and danced, while others took videos of the occurrences. According to the sources, this happened all night long such that even when the deceased was taken to the mountains, where he was buried in royal culture (lusiko lweMalangeni) after 2pm, they were dancing inside  the yard.

As a result, the morning service, which was supposed to be held thereafter, was delayed as speakers eventually delivered their brief speeches after 6am. By then, the family members, who had gone to bury their loved one in the mountains, were on their way back home. The speakers included representatives from his family (mother and father) together with a representative of the public transport workers. The deceased’s family said Dlamini was friendly and they thanked all who supported them as they mourned the loss of their loved one and when preparing for his burial. On the same note, the representative of the workers, Mancoba Dvuba, said the deceased was friendly as he was a friend of everyone in the public transport sector. On another note, he expressed their apology to their clients following the strike action which started on Wednesday October 13, 2021, and ended last Thursday.

Frustration

He said they understood the frustration they went through during that period, but mentioned that they also had to address their grievances. On the other hand, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Swaziland spoke strongly against police brutality in the country. As he spoke, some of the mourners highlighted that the past weekend, at least four people who were shot dead allegedly by the police, were buried. These included Nhlanhla Kunene of Lukhula, who was shot around midnight of Thursday October 14, 2021, while at Mpaka in the Lubombo Region.

Others, who were buried last Saturday, were the two men who were shot dead allegedly by police officers for allegedly stealing copper wire at Dwaleni.  Worth noting is that some of the public transport workers who attended the funeral and spoke  to this publication, was that during the ceremony, they noted that they were supported by other people, just like it happened during the strike action.

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